Brilliant day . . . learned how to navigate London's Tube after purchasing our Oyster cards that allow easy use, and explored the Egyptian wing of the British Museum -- a childhood dream come true! We also took in a traveling exhibition of aboriginal Australian art and artifacts. I especially loved the Larrakitij, which are decorated hollowed out logs coffins. |
Funerary rituals, I learned, span years and each log is decorated with the clan's design, which along with the contents are worn away over time by wind and rain. I am always interested in the cosmologies of other cultures. For animistic cultures such as these aboriginal people, their cosmology is understood to have been embedded in the landscape by Creator so that they would know how to live, make everything grow and continue what he provided in the first place. They believe it is their responsibility to sing and dance that knowledge so they put new life into those teachings. What especially caught my eye were the mask and figurine makers from the Torres Strait region, the bark baskets of the Tiwi people of Bathurst and Melville Islands, and the wooden shields from New South Wales. All were exquisite and inspirational. Once I find where I "safely" stashed my camera's memory card, I will post a few pics!
Hungry for Indian food, Gypsy combed the Internet for a highly rated one in the general vicinity, which afforded opportunities to test our navigation skills, negotiate jay-walking in London, and meeting quite a number of people as we continually asked for direction clarifications. All good fun. On the way, we discovered a wonderful chocolate shop -- Hotel Chocolate -- that hosts all kinds of cooking and tasting classes. After a delicious lunch of curry and tandoori dishes, we explored the neighborhood and shopping between Soho and Picadilly Circus including a stop at clothing designer Gudrun Sjoden's shop on Monmouth Street. With only 10 minutes to closing, we outfitted ourselves with new frocks for the Chelsea Flower Show. Then on to Fortnum & Mason where we explored each floor in depth -- reveling in the displays and wares. More purchases! See next post . . . |